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Agree. I somewhat understand the NFL blackout issues but MLB is driving me crazy with how they will blackout games in my area also. I live in North Ala. and when MLB channel “nationally” televises a Braves game its just about always “blackedout”; when ESPN televises a “national” game, Monday-Saturday that game is also “blackedout”. But when ESPN’s Sunday Night baseball has a Braves games its always televised like Fox's Saturdays games. Why?

ESPN has the exclusive rights to the games they air on Sunday Nights, so there is no local coverage of those games. Other nights of the week it is not exclusive so the team's RSN has the coverage locally while ESPN is blacked out in those markets.

So the blackout site on mlb.tv says that I'm blacked out of the Pirates games. But at least tonight, when I clicked on the game (just to see what would happen), it opened. I just finished watching Burnett lose a no-no in the 7th.

I'd be curious to know if it'll be this way every night now.

Guess when I'm in the mood to watch them, I'll have to remember to check.

I am actually glad there are other Pirates fans in this area because I had thought I may be the only one out here. I had lived in Northern Virginia since 2005 and moved to Jefferson County, WV last year and was able to watch all Pirates games on Root Sports Pittsburgh last year with no problem. I also along with the original poster, received that email in late March informing me that no only will the RSN Root Sports Pittsburgh Pirates games be blacked out but they would also be blacked out on the MLB Extra Innings Package that I have purchased for the past 5+ years.

What is crazy is I am willing to pay for all the extra packages to get a Pittsburgh Pirates broadcast but unfortunately if you live in Berkeley or Jefferson County, West Virginia you CANNOT watch the Pittsburgh Pirates no matter what. Not if you subscribe to MLB Extra Innings or subscribe to the package that has the local RSN of Root Sports Pittsburgh.

All I can say as a lifelong Pirates fan (Been Watching that horrible team for over 20 years) that I kept the MLB Extra Innings Package and adopted the Kansas City Royals as my new team. I know this is stupid considering that I am still paying Major League Baseball for the right to watch every game except the one I really want but I have had a blast watching this scrappy Kansas City team. I hold the Pittsburgh Pirates responsible whether that makes sense or not and now my hope is that the Pittsburgh Pirates continue sucking just as they always have since I started watching those losers.

Also, it appears as though this is NOT coming from MLB, but from a disagreement with DirecTV. I received the following e-mail from the Pirates today:

"We apologize for the delay in responding to your email. We completely understand and, frankly, share in your frustration. The fact that our fans in your area cannot watch Pirates Baseball is very troubling for the Club.

The delay in our response was due to our hope in being able to provide you a solution to the problem. While we have been unable to successfully lobby DirecTV, we have successfully worked with DISH Network to carry Pirates Baseball on their basic package throughout your viewing area. For more information on DISH Network you can call 1-877-504-2758, or log onto www.usdish.com.

In the meantime, we will continue to work with DirecTV, various Cable Providers, ROOT SPORTS and Major League Baseball to find more ways a way to bring Pirates Baseball to you and all of the fans in your area.

If you are a current DirecTV customer and do not wish to switch satellite providers at this time, please continue to contact DirecTV and demand Pirates baseball."

How could there be a disagreement from DirecTV? They OWN Root Sports Pittsburgh. This is the stupidest thing I have ever seen.

They are different parts of the business. Many times, I've explained that big, compartmentalized companies don't just make great under the table deals within themselves. They work as separate entities. But I always get told I'm wrong then things like this happen to support what I see in big companies I've worked in.

They are different parts of the business. Many times, I've explained that big, compartmentalized companies don't just make great under the table deals within themselves. They work as separate entities. But I always get told I'm wrong then things like this happen to support what I see in big companies I've worked in.

or it may be a fail safe for the upcomeing MLB losssuit that may end up the with blackout rules / zones being cut down.

Sorry to rehash this but i am coming back to Direct TV and this topic concerned me. I will be in zip code 16033... which is well in the Pittsburgh market.... Does this mean I am not blacked out from Pirates Games on Root... or is this only for people on the viewing market fringe?

I would like to chime in on this subject. I have just had problems in my area blacking out St. Louis Games. I am just one measely little county to the East Outside of Cardinals broadcast territory. We were not getting the Cardinals 3 days before the All-Star Break. As you can check out my other thread for the rest of the story. Didn’t the Pirates use to be on FOX Sports Pittsburgh? I blame alot of these teams for switching their networks around so much. From what I am hearing next year the Dodgers are going to be leaving Prime Ticket Sports & Moving Just Like The Lakers Did To Time Warner Sportsnet in Los Angeles. I can only imagine what kinds of trouble people will have out there if they get blacked out. Someone posted that The Fairley New Time Warner Channel Will Ask $5 for every subscriber. If these teams would just stick to one network and not shuffle around so much it would be alot less hectic for fans and television providers. I blame alot of these blackouts on the money hungry teams & ownership. I only hope that the MLB Blackout Lawsuit that Is Currently Supposed to be Pending finally goes in favor of the fans who are spending their hard earned money to buy these sports packages like MLB Extra Innings & NFL Sunday Ticket and that the court will hopefully put an entire end to Sports Blackouts for good. When you spend $200 or over on a Sports Package every season like I and many other people have there should never be any blacked out games period.

Sorry to rehash this but i am coming back to Direct TV and this topic concerned me. I will be in zip code 16033... which is well in the Pittsburgh market.... Does this mean I am not blacked out from Pirates Games on Root... or is this only for people on the viewing market fringe?

I would like to chime in on this subject. I have just had problems in my area blacking out St. Louis Games. I am just one measely little county to the East Outside of Cardinals broadcast territory. We were not getting the Cardinals 3 days before the All-Star Break. As you can check out my other thread for the rest of the story. Didn’t the Pirates use to be on FOX Sports Pittsburgh? I blame alot of these teams for switching their networks around so much. From what I am hearing next year the Dodgers are going to be leaving Prime Ticket Sports & Moving Just Like The Lakers Did To Time Warner Sportsnet in Los Angeles. I can only imagine what kinds of trouble people will have out there if they get blacked out. Someone posted that The Fairley New Time Warner Channel Will Ask $5 for every subscriber. If these teams would just stick to one network and not shuffle around so much it would be alot less hectic for fans and television providers. I blame alot of these blackouts on the money hungry teams & ownership. I only hope that the MLB Blackout Lawsuit that Is Currently Supposed to be Pending finally goes in favor of the fans who are spending their hard earned money to buy these sports packages like MLB Extra Innings & NFL Sunday Ticket and that the court will hopefully put an entire end to Sports Blackouts for good. When you spend $200 or over on a Sports Package every season like I and many other people have there should never be any blacked out games period.

The Pirates were Fox Sports Pittsburgh almost 3-4 years ago. They have been Root Sports since that time

I would like to chime in on this subject. I have just had problems in my area blacking out St. Louis Games. I am just one measely little county to the East . When you spend $200 or over on a Sports Package every season like I and many other people have there should never be any blacked out games period.

Rob,

I read all of the 37 threads you started about your Cardinals problem, and I'm glad things seem to be resolved, but you are completely wrong about what you should get for your $200.

You get what the "Package" says you get, and if you don't like it, don't buy it.

Leagues are under no obligation to make all of their product available to everyone.

And you are completely naive if you really believe what you said:

<<<If these teams would just stick to one network and not shuffle around so much it would be alot less hectic for fans and television providers.>>>

These clubs are in business to make money, not to satisfy you individually.

Would I like every game, every night?

Of course, but your whining is not going to change a thing.

One other thing, even though I don't like blackouts, the mere thought of courts intervening in private business practices ought to scare the living S&%# out of you. Watching your favorite team is a privilege, not a right.

Based on your logic, I should be able to sue a California brewery that does not ship their beer to my state.

The Pirates were Fox Sports Pittsburgh almost 3-4 years ago. They have been Root Sports since that time

Not to mention FSN Pittsburgh and Root Sports Pittsburgh are one in the same. Root Sports was just a rebranding after News Corp sold it, FSN Northwest and FSN Rocky Mountain to Liberty Media which eventually became the DirecTV Sports Group.

I read all of the 37 threads you started about your Cardinals problem, and I'm glad things seem to be resolved, but you are completely wrong about what you should get for your $200.

You get what the "Package" says you get, and if you don't like it, don't buy it.

Leagues are under no obligation to make all of their product available to everyone.

And you are completely naive if you really believe what you said:

<<<If these teams would just stick to one network and not shuffle around so much it would be alot less hectic for fans and television providers.>>>

These clubs are in business to make money, not to satisfy you individually.

Would I like every game, every night?

Of course, but your whining is not going to change a thing.

One other thing, even though I don't like blackouts, the mere thought of courts intervening in private business practices ought to scare the living S&%# out of you. Watching your favorite team is a privilege, not a right.

Based on your logic, I should be able to sue a California brewery that does not ship their beer to my state.

Cheers,

cmasia

Well, courts intervene when there are antitrust issues, and most people tend to agree with this. (If the CEO of Coke calls up the CEO of Pepsi to raise prices, then courts intervene.) If the California brewer you mentioned colluded with other brewers across the nation to establish local exclusive zones, thereby restricting competition, the courts may step in.

Sports leagues are a unique case because they are competing firms that must collude to some degree to produce the product. But I don't think that means anything goes for the leagues.

Overall, there seems to be two issues here: (1) Commenters here saying that baseball's leadership is not doing things correctly (even at their own expense), and I think this is true as it relates to many of their outdated TV policies. Bud Selig doesn't even do e-mail. (2) Should the courts step in?

One interesting question --- what is the value of sports blackouts to each provider? Who would win and who would lose if they were eliminated?

The reason I ask is because what if MLB allowed consumers to add a blackout free option, and then MLB used that money to offset providers who were harmed by this? What would the price have to be? An economist at MLB could calculate this.

One interesting question --- what is the value of sports blackouts to each provider? Who would win and who would lose if they were eliminated?

The reason I ask is because what if MLB allowed consumers to add a blackout free option, and then MLB used that money to offset providers who were harmed by this? What would the price have to be? An economist at MLB could calculate this.

What about just cutting down the team areas or makeing the outer rings local blackout free?

One interesting question --- what is the value of sports blackouts to each provider? Who would win and who would lose if they were eliminated?

The reason I ask is because what if MLB allowed consumers to add a blackout free option, and then MLB used that money to offset providers who were harmed by this? What would the price have to be? An economist at MLB could calculate this.

The RSN's would not allow that to happen. They rely on exclusive in-market rights to ensure they get paid for carriage on the various cable and satellite systems that serve the market they cover. If there were a way for a TV provider to provide coverage of a team in-market without carrying the RSN in that market, the RSN would lose leverage in negotiations and would likely have to settle for either less carriage or a lower cost per subscriber. You might say the money taken in on the blackout-free "premium" option would go to compensate, but bear in mind that RSN's depend heavily on subscribers that DON'T watch sports. This is why they strongly resist attempts by DirecTV and other providers to move sports channels out of basic tiers and into premium, sports-themed tiers. If the people who actually watched sports were the only ones paying for it - at any price you might set - the total money taken in by the RSN would be much lower than in the current system.

If a permium, blackout-free option would make a team, RSN, etc. more money than they currently take in, then you would see that option today.

The RSN's would not allow that to happen. They rely on exclusive in-market rights to ensure they get paid for carriage on the various cable and satellite systems that serve the market they cover. If there were a way for a TV provider to provide coverage of a team in-market without carrying the RSN in that market, the RSN would lose leverage in negotiations and would likely have to settle for either less carriage or a lower cost per subscriber. You might say the money taken in on the blackout-free "premium" option would go to compensate, but bear in mind that RSN's depend heavily on subscribers that DON'T watch sports. This is why they strongly resist attempts by DirecTV and other providers to move sports channels out of basic tiers and into premium, sports-themed tiers. If the people who actually watched sports were the only ones paying for it - at any price you might set - the total money taken in by the RSN would be much lower than in the current system.

If a permium, blackout-free option would make a team, RSN, etc. more money than they currently take in, then you would see that option today.

What about giving the teams there own channels PPV that you can by no matter where you are at?